Breakaway ‘Horry County GOP’ group accuses former chairwoman of mishandling $25K in funds

Former leaders of the Horry County Republican Party is asserting in newly filed court records that one-time chairwoman Dreama Perdue left behind nearly $25,000 worth of “undocumented expenses” during her time leading the group.

Perdue could not be reached for comment on Dec. 7.

Columbia-based attorney Brandon Gottschall on Dec. 6 filed a “petition of pre-suit discovery” ahead of a possible civil suit against Perdue, claiming a “third-party financial audit” turned up evidence of missing cash between Jan. 2, 2017 and May 19, 2021.

Gottschall, who could not be reached for comment on Dec. 7, misspelled Perdue’s last name several times throughout the three-page filing.

“This is not our filing. I haven’t been involved in the preparation of the document, I haven’t been consulted about the document and I had nothing to do with the filing of it,” Reese Boyd, chairman of the state-recognized Horry County GOP chapter, told The Sun News. Boyd is also an attorney.

A copy of the audit was not included as an exhibit with the suit, which doesn’t provide any information about who conducted it, when it was done and how much it cost.

Boyd was nominated to lead the Horry County GOP in October at a special meeting to replace Roger Slagle, with 47 out of 80 executive committee members backing him. Slagle announced in mid-September he intended to step down as chairman at month’s end, but two weeks later changed his mind.

SC GOP officials have said Boyd was duly elected to lead the county’s GOP branch, and will only do business with his leadership team.

Organized Republicans in South Carolina’s third largest county have been gripped by political infighting for more than a year - including scraps with state Republican Party head Drew McKissick.

Perdue, whose been active in South Carolina politics for decades, has distanced herself from Slagle’s leadership.

Slagle has repeatedly declined emails and phone calls for comment from The Sun News.

Cheri Verdone, who handles media inquiries for Slagle, said via text on Dec. 7 a request for comment on the filing had been forwarded to him.

Slagle, who still controls the Horry County GOP’s social media accounts, credit cards and precinct rolls, has yet to share the information with Boyd and his leadership team, he said.

Boyd also said he had not seen a copy of the audit.

“The Horry County Republican Party is not an independent, legal entity. They can’t just go out and do whatever they want to do,” Boyd said.